Home as story. Stories from home. 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[Resources ](https://civis.eu/en/resources) 2. Home as story. Stories from home. Transformations of belonging (2026) Home as story. Stories from home. Transformations of belonging (2026) ======================================================================= - Communication and Dissemination - Civic engagement - Migration - E-book - Students - Academics - Researchers - Civil society - Policy makers This e-book consists of a total of 60 artistic works created by forcibly displaced people over the age of eighteen, who settled in Glasgow, Johannesburg, and Madrid, and from a diverse range of nationalities including Morocco, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Sudan, Palestine, Mali, and Guinea Conakry. The e-book is the final outcome of the CIVIS Open Lab project “Migrant Storytelling on Home and Belonging as Transformative Tools” (2024-2025), developed by an interdisciplinary and international team made up of researchers from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the University of Glasgow, and the University of the Witwatersrand, in partnership with organizations that provide protection and support to forcibly displaced individuals: CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado) in Madrid, Migrant Voice in the UK, and the Windybrow Arts Centre in Johannesburg. The importance of creating and sharing stories ---------------------------------------------- Around the world, new and ongoing conflicts are forcing millions of people to leave their homes. According to [the UN Refugee Agency](https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/figures-glance), by the end of June 2025, the latest reporting period, 117.3 million people worldwide had been forced to leave their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights abuses, or events severely disrupting public order. Of these, nearly 42.5 million were refugees. Migration has consequently become a major political concern and a frequent topic in the news, but the real experiences of refugees continue to be presented through negative or dehumanizing language, with words like “invasion” or “hordes” significantly shaping public opinion. In this context, first-person accounts are crucial for understanding the complexity of migration experiences. Participatory research arts methods prove to be powerful tools for amplifying migrants’ voices, as they can tell their stories on their own terms and, in doing so, challenge simplistic or victimizing views. In this way, this approach helps to “rehumanize” those who are too often reduced to statistics or stereotypes. However, most art-based projects remain focused on local or national contexts, and given the global scale of forced displacement, there is a pressing need for initiatives like this one that connect these experiences across borders. Hearing directly from people who have lived through displacement is essential to understanding what migration really means for them. Creative and participatory projects can be powerful ways to share their voices with a bigger audience, challenging stereotypes and encouraging people to see migrants as human beings rather than numbers or labels. While concentrating on specific regional and national settings, arts-based projects, both in terms of participation and creation, allow for raising awareness of shared human experiences and values. In this publication we explore the meaning of home and belonging, in a context of displacement, as a basic human need we all have, regardless of where we are or where we come from. Home as story, stories of home: transformations of belonging. Project and e-book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-book consists of a total of 60 artistic works created by forcibly displaced people over the age of eighteen, who settled in Glasgow, Johannesburg, and Madrid, and from a diverse range of nationalities including Morocco, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Sudan, Palestine, Mali, and Guinea Conakry. The e-book is the final outcome of the CIVIS Open Lab project *“Migrant Storytelling on Home and Belonging as Transformative Tools”* (2024-2025), developed by an interdisciplinary and international team made up of researchers from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the University of Glasgow, and the University of the Witwatersrand, in partnership with organizations that provide protection and support to forcibly displaced individuals: [CEAR](https://www.cear.es/) (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado) in Madrid, [Migrant Voice](https://www.migrantvoice.org/) in the UK, and the [Windybrow Arts Centre](https://marketartscentre.co.za/) in Johannesburg. The purpose of this project was to create safe spaces to empower refugees and displaced people to tell their own stories, placing their voices at the centre of the project. By exploring the themes of *home* and *belonging* through participatory arts-based methodologies and storytelling, the project offered creative tools for expressing experiences and emotions that are often silenced or overlooked, while challenging stereotypical and dehumanizing portrayals of new settlers. Both the planned workshops and this compilatory e-book build on three previous projects by members of this team: [*EverydayMayfair* ](https://www.urbantransformations.ox.ac.uk/blog/2019/4861/)(2017) by Nereida RiperoMuñiz and Elsa Oliviera, which explores first-person narratives of Somali migrants in Johannesburg; [*The Meaning of Home. A toolkit for storytelling interventions with migrant children*.](https://nereidariperomuniz.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/booklet-the-meaning-of-home-interactive-202407111155-sd-2.pdf) (2024) by Kate Shand and Nereida Ripero Muñiz, a toolkit based on a six-week workshop on arts and storytelling with migrant children in Johannesburg; and [*All Roads Lead to Glasgow*](https://www.whatsonglasgow.co.uk/event/130364-all-roads-lead-to-glasgow-book-launch/) (2023), edited by Marzanna Antoniak and Maria Marchidanu, an anthology of poems, short stories, and images created by migrants who have made Scotland their home, published as a collaboration between Povestry and Migrant Voice. In addition, the creative work of members of the [Migrant Voice Gallery](https://migrantvoicegallery.org/zine-poster-show/) in Glasgow, of CEAR in Madrid, and of the Windybrow Arts Centre in Johannesburg has been a major source of inspiration for the conception and development of this e-book. [Read the e-book](https://heyzine.com/flip-book/66080def91.html#page/1) The workshops ------------- The works included in this e-book were created by participants in three to four creative workshops held in Madrid, Glasgow and Johannesburg between May and August 2025. In Madrid, these sessions took place at the cultural center [La Corrala](https://www.uam.es/uam/lacorrala); in Johannesburg, at the [Windybrow Arts Centre](https://marketartscentre.co.za/); and in Glasgow, at the [Garnethill Multicultural Centre ](https://www.garnethillmc.co.uk/)which houses Migrant Voice. These locations were carefully selected for their strong connections to community engagement and support. They all share a mission to revitalize intercultural relations, promote local participation, and foster artistic, educational, and social activities while establishing safe spaces for interactions. Each workshop consisted of a maximum of 14 participants to ensure individualized attention and to provide personal guidance and proper support for all activities. [**The e-book can also be downloaded here.** ](https://civis.eu/storage/files/20260310-a4-home-as-story.pdf) --- *“Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”* Other resources --------------- - ### Briefing paper: Building a bridge towards Africa and the Mediterranean Region (2021) Building partnerships with African and Mediterranean universities outside Europe is an importantstrategic aim of CIVIS and one of its distinct features as a European University alliance (1). By 2022, the end of CIVIS’ “fabric phase”, our alliance seeks to win at least one partner institution in the target regions for each of its established thematic Hubs (2). This implies initiating some first joint pilot projects as well as to prepare and adopt longer-term strategic partnership agreements between CIVIS and partner universities. - Global partnerships - Audiovisual materials - Report - Academics - Researchers - Administrators - Policy makers [ See more ](https://civis.eu/en/resources/briefing-paper-building-a-bridge-towards-africa-and-the-mediterranean-region-2021 "Briefing paper: Building a bridge towards Africa and the Mediterranean Region (2021)") - ### Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality (Workshop Report, 2025) The workshop “Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality” (30 September–1 October 2025) brought together academics, associations, and local stakeholders committed to addressing climate and air‑quality challenges through participatory research. Designed as a prototype for future CIVIS Open Labs, the event fostered dialogue between diverse actors, encouraged the exchange of methodologies, and highlighted the value of inclusive, science-based action. By convening experts and communities across different territories, the workshop aimed to enhance transnational collaboration and strengthen the collective capacity to address environmental issues. - Challenged-based approach - Communication and Dissemination - Civic engagement - Participatory research - Report - Students - Academics - Researchers - Civil society [ See more ](https://civis.eu/en/resources/sensing-our-environment-together-citizen-sciences-for-climate-and-air-quality-workshop-report-2025 "Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality (Workshop Report, 2025)") ![CIVIS – Europe’s Civic University Alliance](https://civis.eu/build/assets/civis-CCpvK1nT.svg) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe’s Civic University Alliance ![Co-funded by the European Union](https://civis.eu/build/assets/co-funded-by-the-european-union-DSKLW1us.png)Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 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